The Griboyedov Canal or Kanal Griboyedova () is a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, constructed in 1739 along the existing ''Krivusha'' river. In 1764–90, the canal was deepened and the banks were reinforced and covered with granite. The Griboyedov Canal starts from the

Moyka River The Moyka (, also latinised as Moika) is a short river in Saint Petersburg which splits from the Neva River. Along with the Neva, the Fontanka river, and canals including the Griboyedov and Kryukov, the Moyka encircles the central portion ...

near the Field of Mars. It flows into the

Fontanka The Fontanka (), a left branch of the river Neva, flows through the whole of Central Saint Petersburg, Russia – from the Summer Garden to . It is long, with a width up to , and a depth up to . The Moyka River forms a right-bank branch ...

River. Its length is , with a width of . Before 1923, it was called the Catherine Canal, after the Empress

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

, during whose rule it was deepened. The Communist authorities renamed it after the

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n playwright and diplomat, Alexandr Griboyedov. The streets or embankments running along the canal are known as ''Naberezhnaya Kanala Griboyedova''.

Bridges

There are 21 bridges across the canal: * Tripartite Bridge * Novo-Konyushenny Bridge * Italian Bridge *

Kazansky Bridge Kazansky Bridge () is a bridge across Griboyedov Canal in Saint Petersburg, Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest cou ...

Bank Bridge Bank Bridge (Russian: ''Bankovsky most'', ''Банковский мост'') is a long pedestrian bridge crossing the Griboedov Canal near the former Russian Assignation Bank in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Similar to other bridges across the canal ...

* Flour Bridge * Stone Bridge * Demidov Bridge * Hay Bridge * Kokushkin Bridge *

Voznesensky Bridge Voznesensky (masculine), Voznesenskaya (feminine), or Voznesenskoye (neuter) may refer to: * Voznesensky (surname) Places * Voznesensky District, a district of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia * Voznesenskoye Urban Settlement, several municipal urb ...

* Podyachesky Bridge * Bridge of Four Lions * Kharlamov Bridge * Novo-Nikolsky Bridge * Krasnogvardeysky Bridge * Pikalov Bridge *

Mogilyovsky Bridge Mogilyovsky Bridge is a bridge across the Griboyedov Canal to Admiralteysky District of Saint Petersburg that connects Kolomensky and Pokrovsky Islands. This bridge is located along the Lermontovsky Avenue axis. It is near the Estonian Orthodox B ...

* Alarchin Bridge * Kolomensky Bridge * Malo-Kalinkin Bridge

Cultural references

Griboedov Canal appears on the cover of the 2011 contemporary classical album,

Troika Troika or troyka (from Russian тройка, meaning 'a set of three' or the digit '3') may refer to: * Troika (driving), a traditional Russian harness driving combination, a cultural icon of Russia Politics * Triumvirate, a political regime rul ...

."Troika: Russia’s westerly poetry in three orchestral song cycles"
Rideau Rouge Records, ASIN: B005USB24A, 2011. The canal is a key location in

Fyodor Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian literature, Russian and world literature, and many of his works are consider ...

's novel, ''

Crime and Punishment ''Crime and Punishment'' is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published in the literary journal '' The Russian Messenger'' in twelve monthly installments during 1866.

''. Like most locations in the novel, the canal is rarely identified by its proper name; in fact, on most occasions Dostoyevsky refers to it as a ''kanava'', a word which in English is closer to the word "ditch." In a footnote to the Penguin Deluxe Classics edition of the book, translator Oliver Ready describes the canal as a "filthy and polluted place" which is nevertheless "the topographical center of the book." The novel's protagonist, Raskolnikov, repeatedly crosses over the canal, and tentatively plans on disposing of stolen property there. The apartment building where he commits his crimes, "faced the Ditch on one side and Srednyaya Podyacheskay Street on the other." The canal is also featured in

's short story White Nights.

Gallery

File:Demidov bridge in urban development.jpg, Demidov Bridge across the Griboyedov Canal,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

File:The Griboyedov Canal Quay in Saint Petersburg.jpg, Griboyedov Canal Embankment in

File:Griboyedov Canal Embankment pic6.JPG, Griboyedov Canal Embankment in

. In the backdrop,

Church of the Savior on Blood The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (, ''Tserkovʹ Spasa na Krovi'') is a Russian Orthodox church in Saint Petersburg, Russia which currently functions as a secular museum and church at the same time. The structure was constructed between ...

File:Griboyedov Canal Embankment pic1.JPG, Griboyedov Canal Embankment in

File:Griboyedov Canal DSC01897 2200.jpg, Griboyedov Canal,

File:Saint Petersburg. Griboyedov Canal DSC03320 2200.jpg, Griboyedov Canal,

File:St. Petersburg. Little-Kalinkin Bridge over the Griboyedov Canal.JPG, Malo-Kalinkin Bridge over the Griboyedov Canal,

File:Moika river Griboedov Canal Adamini House Saint Petersburg.jpg, Adamini House at the junction of

and Griboyedov Canal,

References

Canals of Saint Petersburg Canals opened in 1739 1739 establishments in the Russian Empire {{Russia-road-stub